L’Oca d’Oro

What do we love about Italian food? Its simplicity and seasonality. Like summertime dishes of red shrimp crudo brightened with bergamot orange and mint, a vegetable crudite served in a warm, pungent froth of anchovy butter, or bursting tomatoes and milky house-made straciatella cheese perched on crusty bread. And, of course, there is pasta. Find a chef like Fiore Tedesco who can coax memories and longing with the texture of spaghetti carbonara and a fine-tuned balance of meaty golden oyster mushrooms and sweet bits of corn scattered around generous corn-ricotta ravioli and you’ll follow his lead just about anywhere.

This restaurant that has helped give a sense of soul and community to the still shiny and new Mueller development provides smart comfort, attentive service and a place to sip Italian wines, and has also joined industry leaders fighting for fair wages and best practices and against discrimination. Everyone should be so lucky as to have a neighbor like L’Oca d’Oro.